Full open sectional door latch device



May 17, 1955 c. R. woLF ETAL FULL OPEN sEcTIoNAL DooR 'LATCH DEVICEFiled July 1'7, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l May 17 1955 c. R. woLF ETAL2,708,478

FULL OPEN SECTIONL DOOR LATCH DEVICE Filed July 17, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet2 May 17, 1955 c. R. woLFl-:TAL 2,708,478

FULL OPEN SECTIONAL DOOR LATCH DEVICE Filed July 17, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet3 g ze' y Y J L l .i 5 Z2/301125 J34 155 7T- Unite FULL oPEN sncrioNALDoon LATCH DEVICE Application .tiny 17, 1952, sensi No. 299,516

4 Ciaims. (Cl. 160 201) This invention is concerned with overheadopening gar age doors of the sectional type and particulariy with a doorlatch device for holding such doors closed or in fully open position.

An object of this invention is to provide a new or improved door latchdevice for overhead opening garage doors or the like.

Another object or" this invention is to provide a door latch devicewhich automatically locks the door in closed position and which operateswith a minimum of noise and shock to the door and guiding tracks.

Overhead opening garage doors are always counterbalanced, usually withsprings, to simplify opening. All of the weight of the door at firstmust be lifted up when the door is raised from closed vertical positionand in addition the inertia of the stationary door must be overcome. Thedoor is shifted mostly horizontally when at nearly fully open position.Consequently, much more force is necessary to start an overhead openingdoor upwardly toward open position than is necessary to complete theopening. As a result, the momentum imparted to the door causes it toovershoot its normal overhead balanced or quiescent position and then torebound with considerable danger to the operator and shock to the doorand suspension system. The rebounding force often is augmented by thecounterbalancing springs which tend to come to rest as nearly aspossible in an unstressed position. Furthermore, sectional overheadopening doors tend to come to rest in a balanced position with thebottom section of the door hanging down some distance from the remainderof the door. This requires considerable headroom above the door to keepthe bottom section from hanging too far down into the door opening.

An object of this invention is to provide means for cmpietelyeliminating rebounding without imparting shock to the door or tracks inso doing.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for holding anoverhead door in the farthest overhead position reached, thereby leadingto lower headroom requirements.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide a latch devicefor holding an overhead opening door in the most completely openedoverhead position regardless of where that maximum open position mightbe in any given door opening operation within wide limits.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a door latch devicefor locking an overhead opening door in fully opened position untilmanually released.

A further object of this invention is to provide a door latch device forholding an overhead opening door in fullest overhead opened position andpreventing pulling down of the door by children.

A further object of this invention is to provide a door latch deviceadapted to hold an overhead opening door in closed, locked position, andalso in fullest overhead opened position.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention willbe apparent from the following description States Patent when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view through a garage showingthe invention as applied to a garage door;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan View of the door from inside of the garageas taken along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a part of the doorlatch device;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the door latch device as taken alongthe line 4 4 of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is an end view partially in section taken along the line 5 5 ofFig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a further enlarged View of the door latch device in crosssection as taken along the line 6 6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan view looking upwardly at the door in overheadposition substantially along they line 7 7 of Fig. 1;

Fig. S is a View partly in cross section taken along the line 8 8 ofFig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is a further enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line 99 of Fig. 8.

Referring rst to Figs. 1 and 2 for the setting of the invention, therewill be seen a garage generally designated by the numeral 1i) havingside walls 12, a roof 14, and a front wall 16 having a door opening 18.The door opening i8 is closed by a hinged, sectional door 20 closingagainst a header 22.

ri`he door Zi) comprises a plurality ot sections 24 hingedly connectedto one another as at 26. Each hinge 26 comprises a pair of hinge plates28 (Figs. 4-9) mounted on confronting edges of adjacent door sections orpanels 2:4 and pivotaliy connected by a hinge pin 30 (Figs. 5, 6, and8). An angle bracket 32 (Figs. 4-9) is bolted to one of each pair ofhinge plates and carries an axle 34 rotatably supporting a wheel orroller 36.

The rollers 36 are received in guiding tracks 38 of substantiallyconventional construction and having vertical and horizontal sections 4)and 42, respectively (Fig. 1), interconnected by curved portions 44. Thevertical track sections are supported from the front wall 16 by suitablebrackets 46 (Fig. 6) and the horizontal track sections are supported atthe back by hangers 48 secured to a rafter Sil or the like of thegarage. The upper and lower door sections are provided with rollers 52and 54 mounted relatively toward the free edges ot' these door sectionsand received in the track 38 as shown.

in Fig. l.

The door is counterbalanced by a pair of tension springs 56 suitablyfixed to an angle member 58 extending between the rear hangers 4S.Cables 60 secured to the sides of the door near the lower edge thereofpass upwardly over a pair of pulleys 62 rotatably mounted on the frontwall or door header and over sheaves 64 mounted on the free ends of thesprings 56. The free end of each cable 6i) is secured to a link chain66, and each chain is looped over a hook 68 in the front wall or header.Tension on the spring 56 is adjustable by looping one or another of thelinks of each chain 66 over the corresponding hook 68.

Door latches 7) are provided on opposite sides of the door on the nextto the bottom door section 24. Each door latch 7i) comprises a latch barguide, case, or bracket 72 best seen in the perspective view of Fig. 3.The guide 72 is provided with a back plate 74 having bolt holes '76 forbolting to the upper hinge plate 28 ofv the lowest hinge 26 asillustrated at 78 in Figs. 4 and 7. The guide 72 is provided withvertically disposed inner and outer right angle anges Si) and 82,respectively.l The inner flange 8i) is slotted at 84 adjacent the baseplate 74 snugly, but slidably, to receive a latch bar 86. The outerflange 82 is provided with an opening S8 oi' the same width as the slot84 for receiving the latch bar 86, but of a considerable greater depthto allow the latch bar 86 to shift perpendicularly to its surfaceadjacent the outer flange 82.

Intermediate its length the latch bar 86 is provided with an L-shapedbracket or arm 90 held in place by means such as a countersunk rivet 91.A coil spring 92 (Figs. 4 7 and 9) is stretched between the outer end ofthe arm 9d and the upper edge of the ange 82, the arm 90 being aperturedat 94 and the ange at the outer edge of the slot being notched at 96,for receipt of the end of spring 92. The spring 92 tends to pull thelatch bar 86 outwardly and at against the back or base plate 74 andtends to urge the latch bar 86 to the right as shown in Figs. 4, 6, and9.

It will be understood that the latch 70 on the left side of the door asviewed from the inside of Fig. 2 is similar to that just described onthe right side of the door. Outward movement of the latch bars 86 underthe inuence of the springs 92 is limited by latch release wires or rods98 (Figs. 2, 4, 6, 7, and 9) looped through apertures 100 in the innerends of the latch bars. The latch wires 98 are designed to be pulledtoward the center of the door by rotation of a handle 100 (Fig. 2) on alock mechanism 192. The handle 100 and lock mechanism 192 may be ofconventional construction and detailed description thereof isaccordingly believed unnecessary. A pull on the latch wires 98 asbrought about by twisting the handle 199 will retract the latch bars S6longitudinally against the action of their biasing springs 92.

Latch strikes 164 (Figs. 1 6) are secured to the vertical track sections4t) on opposite sides of the door in alignment with the latches 70 withthe door in closed position. Each latch strike as best seen in theperspective view of Fig. 3 comprises a wall 106 adapted to lie along oneedge of the track and having a right angle attaching flange 168 securedby means such as relatively flat, round headed bolts 110 and nuts 112 tothe side of the vertical track section 4t). The operative part of eachlatch strike 194 comprises a flange 114 parallel to the attaching ange188 and on the opposite longitudinal edge of the wall 1&6 therefrom. Thecorners of the flange 114 are beveled as at 116. Only the upper cornerneed be beveled on each latch strike 104, but as the latch strikes areused in relatively inverted positions, it is most advantageous tomanufacture them with both corners beveled. The flange 114 is providedwith a relatively wide opening 118 along the free edge, and this openingopens into a relatively narrow opening 126 of exactly the proper widthto receive the end of the latch bar 86, the end of the latch bar 86being olfset toward the door at 122 for this purpose.

When the door is closed, each latch bar S6 encounters one of the beveledcorners 116 and is cammed outwardly thereby as shown in dashed lines inFig. 5, the latch bar moving away from the base plate 74 of the bracket72 and pivoting about the ilange Si). The spring 92 then causes thelatch bar to snap back against the back or base plate 74 with the end122 of the latch bar in the recess 120 of the strike 104 as shown inFigs. 4 6. Retraction of the latch bars 86 by rotation of the handle 190slides them longitudinally away from the flanges 114 of the strikes 164so that the door may be raised.

One of the tracks 38, the right hand track as viewed from the inside ofthe garage having been chosen as an illustrative example, is providedwith a safety strike 124 (Figs. 7 9) on the horizontal track section 42adjacent the curved track section 44. The safety strike is designed forcooperation with the latch 70 on the corresponding side of the door andpositively prevents rebounding of the door; the safety strike furtherholds the door locked in fully opened overhead position where childrencannot lower it and needs very little headroom above the top of the dooropening.

The safety strike comprises a base plate 126 adapted to lic along thetop of the track section and provided with elongated slots 128 forreceiving bolts 130 passed through the top ange of the horizontal tracksection 42. Nuts 132 threaded on the bolts 130 clamp the base plate 126of the safety strike 124 in adjusted position against the top flange ofthe horizontal track section. The base plate 126 is provided along itslongitudinal edges with right angularly disposed flanges 134 having aplurality of spaced apart teeth 136. As may be seen in Fig. 8 where theteeth are shown in profile, the teeth have beveled edges 138 facingtoward the curved track section 44 and square latching shoulders 140.When the door is opened, the latch bar 86 cams over the beveled toothedges 136, pivoting about the latch bar guide flange as shown in Fig. 9.The spring 92 urges the latch bar S6 toward the back or base plate 74 ofthe guide so that the end 122 of the latch bar successively snapsagainst the flange 134 behind the abrupt shoulders 140 of the teeth.When the door has passed the point where there is the least possibletension on the springs 56, momentum of the door causes the door tocontinue to open and thus to stretch the springs until it stops thedoor. The resulting stretching of the springs tends to cause the door torebound with considerable force. However, since the tip of the latch barsnaps behind the shoulders of successive teeth, the door cannot reboundany substantial distance before it is stopped by engagement of the latchbar against one of the shoulders of the teeth. Since the door issubstantially at rest when the latch bar engages the shoulder of one ofthe teeth to prevent rebounding, very little strain is thrown on thedoor and suspension system, and operation is very quiet.

In order to release the door from overhead position, a link chain 142(Figs. l, 2, 4, 5, 8, and 9) or other flexible member is attached to theend of the L-shaped bracket or arm 9i) and preferably is provided with ahandle 144 (Fig. 4). A pull on the chain 142 pivots the latch bar 86 tothe position shown in dashed lines in Fig. 9. This allows the latch barto clear the teeth so that the springs 56 can partially reclose thedoor. Continued pulling on the chain 142 perhaps augmented by a pull onthe usual handles for lowering overhead doors then will lower the doorto closed position.

The flanges 134 and teeth 136 on the safety strike have been provided onboth sides of the base plate 126 so that the safety strike may be placedon either track depending upon the exigencies of the situation withteeth positioned for coperation with the latch bar on the correspondingside of the door.

The door latch device disclosed thus automatically locks the door ineither fully closed or fully opened overhead position. Rebonnding iscompletely eliminated and little overhead clearance above the dooropening is necessary since the door is held in the fullest possibleoverhead open position. Since the door is latched in overhead openedposition, the door cannot be inadvertently closed by children. The latchbar makes a clicking sound as it ratchets over the teeth of the safetystrike. This forms an audible signal informing the person opening thedoor that the door has reached opened position and is safely locked inplace where it cannot rebound or fall down to endanger him.

The single example of our invention shown and described will beunderstood to be for illustrative purposes only. The invention will beunderstood as including all that which falls fairly within the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An overhead opening door construction comprising a door movablebetween lowered closed position and opened overhead position, overheadmeans providing a shoulder and a camming surface leading thereto, lowermeans providing a shoulder and a camming surface leading thereto, alatch member, means for yieldably mounting said latch member on saiddoor for movement perpendicular to said door and parallel to the planeof said door, said latch member being adapted to cam over and engagebehind the overhead shoulder to hold the door in opened position and tocam over and engage bchind the lower shoulder for holding said door inclosed position, means for moving said latch member parallel to saiddoor to remove said member from behind the lower shoulder, and means formoving the latch member perpendicular to the door to remove the latchmember from behind the overhead shoulder.

2. An overhead opening door construction including a sectional door,guide devices on said door, guide tracks including horizontal andvertical track sections interconnected by curved track sections andreceiving said guide devices for guiding said door between loweredclosed position and opened overhead position, an elongated latch member,means mounting said latch member on said door for movementlongitudinally of said door and perpendicularly to the plane of saiddoor, means on a horizontal track section having a shoulder forcooperation with said latch member to retain said door in fully openedoverhead position, means on a vertical track section providing ashoulder cooperable with said latch member to hold said door in closedposition, means for shifting said latch member longitudinally withrespect to said door to release it from the shoulder on the verticaltrack section, and means for shifting said latch member perpendicular tothe plane of said door to move said latch member away from the shoulderon the horizontal track section to permit closing of said door.

3. A door latch comprising an elongated latch bar, means for mountingsaid latch bar on a door including a base plate having a pair of edgeflanges thereon, one of said flanges having a slot of substantially thesame size as the cross section of said latch bar for receiving saidlatch bar for longitudinal sliding movement, the other of Said angeshaving a slot larger than the cross section of said latch bar in adirection perpendicular to said base plate for receiving said latch barfor longitudinal sliding movement and for movement of the end thereofadjacent said other flange in a direction perpendicular to said baseplate, and spring means urging said latch bar toward said base plate ina direction perpendicular to said base plate and toward the ange havingthe larger slot.

4. A door latch comprising an elongated latch bar, means for mountingsaid latch bar on a door including a base plate having a pair of edgeanges thereon, one of said anges having a slot of substantially the samesize as the cross section of said latch bar for receiving said latch barfor longitudinal sliding movement, the other of said anges having a slotlarger than the cross section of said latch bar in a directionperpendicular to said base plate for receiving said latch bar forlongitudinal sliding movement and for movement of the end thereofadjacent said other flange in a direction perpendicular to said baseplate, an arm projecting transversely from said latch bar, and a springstretched from said arm to the other of said flanges diagonally of saidlatch bar normally to urge said latch bar toward said base plate in adirection perpendicular to said base plate and toward the secondmentioned llange.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,172,663 Backus Feb. 22, 1916 1,326,554 Watson Dec. 30, 1919 1,992,972Sullivan Mar. 5, 1935 2,064,470 Heckman Dec. 15, 1936 2,124,969 BagleyJuly 26, 1938 2,128,014 Platin Aug. 23, 1938 2,343,977 Jones et al Mar.14, 1944 2,393,287 Buchner Ian. 22, 1946 2,547,196 Clark Apr. 3, 1951

